Succulents and More™

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’re probably familiar with Tony and Holly Krock. I’ve visited them at their private home and their greenhouse on previous trips to Santa Barbara. On our recent trip , Kyle and I checked in with the Krocks to see what they’ve been up to. A lot, as it turns out. Read on. But some background first so you don’t have to dig through my old posts: Tony and his wife Holly, a horticulturist by profession, operate Krock Nursery in Santa Barbara, specializing in rare and unusual agaves and other succulents for the collector market. The nursery focuses heavily on variegated plants and specimens with unique morphological features, like pronounced teeth and spines. While many of their plants go to overseas collectors, they also sell on online platforms such as eBay and Palmstreet . Tony and Holly Krock, true salt of the earth folks Tony is widely recognized for his expertise in agave propagation. He uses advanced methods (cringe-inducing for regular folks...

In November 2018, the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society (SCSS) created a demonstration garden at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center where our monthly meetings are held. Check out this post for all the details and to see photos I took on the day we installed the garden. I posted an update in January 2021 , at the height of Covid, but have been remiss in keeping you informed on how the garden has evolved. In 2023, the SCSS was invited to expand the garden to include the short leg at the far end of the L-shaped bed you see in the photo below: Most plants were donated by club members; a few specimen-sized plants were purchased with club funds The SCSS demonstration garden faces McKinley Boulevard, a street that gets a lot of foot traffic. The garden has high visibility and is seen by many people walking by. Thanks to regular maintenance (weeding and general cleanup) by SCSS volunteers Dave, Bill, George and others, the garden looks fantastic. Let’s take a look, beginning with th...